Speed-controlling device for continuous-strip-feeding means



Sept. 4, 1928.

H. E. WANER SPEED CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR CONTINUOUS STRIP FEEDING MEANS iii! 1 Filed July 20, 1927 Patented Sept. 4, 1928.

UNHTED STATES 1,683,318 raven-r orrice.

Y E. WANER, F AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR- TO THE B. F. GOODRICH COMPANY, OF

NEW YORK, 1\T Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SPEED-CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR CONTINUOUS-S ZIP-FEEDING MEANS.

Application filed July 20,

This invention relates to means for controlling the relative speed of two mechanisms such, for example, as a mechan sm for feeding continuous strip material nto a reserve a loop and a mechanism for feeding the material out of the reserve loop, as in continuously calendering a strip of rubber stock and feeding it into a reserve loop at a comparatively uniform speed and withdrawing it from the to reserve loop intermittently or at difiere'nt speeds for operating upon it beyond the reserve loop.

My general objects are to provide in an improved manner for automatically controlling the relative speed of two mechanisms and especially mechanisms for feedmg material into and out of a reserve supply and conveniently to provide for maintaining the reserve supply within determinate limlts. 29 More specific objects are to provide a highly sensitive and quickly responsive device of this character and to provide simplicity of construction and dependability of operation.

@f the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation of strip-feeding devices and a control therefor embodying my invention in its preferred form.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevation on a larger scale of a set of valve-actuating contact devices constituting a part of the apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section, from the same view-point as that of Fig. 2, of parts of one of the valve-actuating devices.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of parts of the speed-control mechanism, on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the invention is here shown with reference to a calender 1O driven, through a reduction-gear by a motor 11 and adapted to deliver a continuous strip 12 of sheeted rubber compound to an endless-belt conveyor 13 driven from the calender by a sprocket-chain 14.

The motor 11 has driving connection,

through a variable-speed device 15, to a sec- 1927. Serial No. 207,119.

the calender, a floating roll 21 is journaled 1n ayoke 22 secured upon the lower end of a guide-stem 23 which is slidably mounted in suitable apertures formed in cross-members connecting the two standards 20. Guide rolls 24, 25 are journalcd over the adjacent ends of the respective conveyors to prevent the tension of the strip from lifting it unduly from the conveyors.

The variable-speed device 15 may be of any suitable construction, the one here represent ed being of a well known hydraulic type having a control shaft 26 (Fig. 4).

Secured upon the control shaft 26 is a gearsegment 27 having a rack-supporting flange 28, and the gear segment is meshed with a rack 29 secured upon a slide 30 which is mounted in a guide-way formed on the frame of the device, stop-screws 31, 31 being provided for limiting the range of movement of the rack.

The rack 29 has connected thereto one end of a piston-rod 32 which extends, for accurate guiding, through both heads of a fluid-pressure cylinder 33 mounted upon the frame of the variable-speed device and provided with a fluid-supply pipe 34 which leads from a source of pressure-fluid, preferably compressed air, and is formed with branches 35, 36 leading to the respective ends of the cylinder, so that both ends of the cylinder may be kept in communication with the pressurefiuid supply.

Secured upon the piston-rod 32 within the .cylinder is a piston 37. At each side of its middle the cylinder is formed, in its side wall, with small apertures or exhaust ports 38, 38 spaced (in pairs in this embodiment) lengthwise of the cylinder. The piston 37 is of such length, axially of the cylinder, as to span all of the set of ports 38 on either side of the middle of the cylinder. The apertures of each pair communicate through a vent pipe with an escape valve adapted to be temporarily opened by a stud 39 (Fig. l) projecting from the yoke 22 of the floating roll 21 mounted in the reserve loop 17 of the stock strip 12.

The vent pipes 40 to 43 communicating with one end portion of the cylinder lead to respective escape valves mounted upon one of the standards 20 near its top and controlled by respective cam-actuated levers 44 to 47 provided with cam-rollers 44 to 47 constituting feeler means adapted to be engaged in succession by the stud 39 as the floating roll 21 closely approaches the upper limit of its range of movement. The vent pipes 48 to 51 communicating with the other end portion of the cylinder similarly lead to escape valves mounted upon the standard 20 near its bottom and controlled by respective cam-actuated levers 52 to 55 provided with cam-rollers 52 to 55 adapted to be engaged in succession by the stud 39 as the floating roll 21 closely approaches the lower limit of its range of movement. The construction is such that in the downward movement of the stud 39 the cylinder will be momentarily vented at different positions in succession from its middle toward the left-hand end of the cylinder as viewed in Figs. 1 and 4 and in the upward movement of the stud 39 the cylinder will be momentaril vented at difierent positions in succession om its middle toward its righthand end as there viewed.

The lower set of escape valves are shown at 56 to 59 in Fig. 2, and they and the valves of the upper set are all of similar construction and association, such as will be clear upon reference to Fig. 3, where the valve-plug 60 of the valve 59 is shown as being held seated by the usual compression spring 61 mounted on its stem and interposed between its head and a guide and closure plug 62 screwed into the valve-casing. The valve-head is formed with ribs such as the ribs 63, 63 pro ecting through the valve seat to guide the valve therein while permitting the escape of air therethrough, and a valve-opening plunger 64 is mounted in an apertured guide-boss formed on a wall of the valve-casing and is adapted to be abutted by a set-screw 65 screwed through a bracket-flange 66 formed on the lever 55, the set-screw being provided with a lock-nut 67.

Lever-positioning set-screws such as the set-screws 68 to 71 (Figs. 2 and 3) are provided for accurately holding the valve-actuatin'g levers with their set-screws 65 substantially abutted against the respective valveopening plungers such as the plunger 64 (Fig. 3), and each pair of set-screws, such as the set-screws 65 and 71 (Fig. 3) are preferably set in such adjustment as to permit the valve to be completely seated when the lever is in contact with the lever-positioning set-screw, in proper position to be engaged by the stud 39, without substantial play.

In the operation of the apparatus, the calender and the conveyors being driven by the motor 11, the stock strip 12 passes from the conveyor 13, through the reserve loop 17, onto the conveyor 16.

In case the loop 17 elongates beyond a determinate length, from stretch of the stock or because of relatively slow feed of the conveyo'r 16, the stud 39 in its downward movement holds open the first valve 56 for such time as the stud is in contact with the first cam-roller 55,.which vents the cylinder 33 through the pipe 48, at a position a little to the left (Fig. 4) of the middle of the cylinder, which permits the piston 37 to move to the left until the apertures 38 leading to the pipe 48 I are shutoff by the piston, the pressures on the two sides ofthe piston then being promptly equalized by air entering the cylinder throw 1 the branch pipe 35. Such movement of t 0 piston turns the control shaft 26 and thereby increases the speed of the conveyor 16. If the conveyor 16 still moves too slowly to stop the lengthening of the reserve loop 17 further downward movement of the stud 39 results in venting the cylinder at the next position, and so on until the conveyor 16 is driven at a sufficient speed to cause the stud 39 to rise.

The stud then rises, past such cam-rollers .as it has passed in its descent, without effecting a change in the position of the piston, since the exhaust ports 38 controlled by those cam-rollers are closed off by the piston.

The stud 39 continues to rise with the floating roll 21 until it engages the first of the upper set of cam-rollers, and, in the manner just described as to the lower set of valves, eflects a slowing up of the conveyor 16 until the reserve loop again begins to elongate, whereupon the cycle is repeated.

The cycle of elongation and shortening of the reserve loop may be very slow and may be varied by intermittence of feed of the strip into or out of the reserve loo The construction is such that very prompt automatic control and the other. advantages set out in the above statement of objects are provided.

Modifications are possible within the scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with means for supporting a variable reserve supply of continuous strip material, means for feeding the material into the said supply, means for feeding the -material out of the said supply, a variablespeed device interposed operatively between the two feeding means, and means responsive to the amount of material in the said supply for controlling the speed ratio of the said variable-speed device, the controlling means comprising fluid-pressure means having connection to the variable-speed device, feeler means mounted in position to be actuated by variation of the amount of material in the supply, and valve mechanism actuated by the feeler means and controlling the operation of the fluid-pressure means. I

2. In combination with means for supporting a variable reserve supply of continiious strip material, means for feeding the material into the said supply, means for feeding the material out of the saidsupply, a variable speed device interposed operatively between the two feeding means, and means responsive to the amount of material in the said supply for controlling the speed ratio of the said variable-speed device, the controlling means comprising a series of feeler members mounted for actuation in succession by a progres sive variation in the amount of material in the supply and cumulative in their effect upon the variable-speed device.

3. A combination as defined in claim 2 in which the controlling means is so constructed and arranged that the feeler means is effective in only one direction of progression through the series.

4. In combination with means for supporting a variable reserve supply of continuous strip material, means for feeding the material into the said supply, means for feeding the material out of the said supply, a variablespecd device interposed operatively between the two feeding means, and means responsive to the amount of material in the said supply for controlling the speed ratio of the said variable-speed device, the controlling means comprising a fluid-pressure cylinder, a piston therein having operative connection to the variable-speed device, the cylinder being formed with a series of exhaust ports ranged lengthwise thereof and the piston being of such axial dimension as to block ofi at the same time all of the ports of the series, and feeler means associated with the reserve-supply of material for controlling the flow of fluid through said ports.

5. In combination with means for supporting a variable reserve supply of continuous strip material, means for feeding the material into the said supply, means for feeding the material out of the said supply, a variablespeed device interposed operatively between the two feeding means, and means for controlling the speed ratio of the said variablespeed device, the controlling means comprising a fluid pressure cylinder formed with an inlet port and an exhaust port at each side of its middle, a piston therein having operative connection to the variable speed device, means for maintaining an inward fluid pressure at the same time at both of the inlet ports, and feeler means responsive to the amount of ma terial in the supply for controlling the flow of fluid through the said exhaust ports.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 15th day of July, 1927.

HARRY E. WANER. 

